Origins - A Molecular Symphony

Origins is a set of 720 digital sculptures; each one unique; that explore the digitization of scent. By using advanced chemical analysis (GC-MS), 3D modelling and nanotech; the scent-enhanced sculptures showcase the molecular beauty and hidden complexity of drinks from all around the world.  The work is a metaphor for life around us; everything has a hidden dimension.

The work was created to visualize something complex (molecular interactions) in a simple and beautiful way, inviting people to pause, reflect and marvel at a hidden dimension present in our liquids & food: where does flavour come from and what are its building blocks? The ''Origins'' name refers to the molecular building blocks from around the world.

The work combines scientific and artistic innovation in a frontier domain that's relevant to society.

Societal relevance: Origins is about the digitisation of scent, a frontier domain as described by a recent World Economic Forum article highlighting its tremendous potential to positively transform our society: by better understanding scent we can improve: disease detection, transparency in food supply chains, public safety … To digitize scent, one must understand what molecules are present in our environment (food, beverages, air, ...) and how humans perceive them. Origins looks at the first part of the equation: what molecules are present in spirits. Spirits were chosen as it's easier to analye the volatile molecules in them.

Academic & scientific innovation: In order to make the artwork; the largest ever private GC-MS study on spirits from all around the world was created: +720 liquid samples (90% Whisky, ''the water of life'' or ''Uisghe beatha'') containing +65.000 lines of molecular data. Previous academic research analyzed ''only'' 191 samples.

Artistic novelty: The work then shows the complexity and beauty of organic chemistry in a unique yet simple way by combining the chemical data with advanced 3D modelling in Blender (software), something never done before. To give the viewer a sensory experience, all sculptures come with nano-technology scent cards so one can smell the molecules on screen.

Origins is a work of depth & rigour: it took two years to create and all artistic & scientific work was done manually.

Collaborators:

Scent cards: Sissel Tolaas

3D Modelling: Eric Garcia (Luxmotion)

GC-MS data generation: Rodolphe de Hemptinne